Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Cherise Arthur and I have just written my first book Sierra and Star. I live in the beautiful state of Oregon and love to read, write, photography, traveling and am really enjoyed learning about the self publishing industry. I work in education during the day and spend my free time reading and riding my horse Bear.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Sierra and Star is the first book in the series for The Adventures of Sierra and Star. I was out riding one day and had this vision of a little girl and her new pony red pony. I started making notes and decided to write a children’s book. The process of writing and re writing was probably the hardest point. I wanted my character to have a passion for horses and wanted to share special moments with her pony. It was a delight to write and then to find an illustrator to bring it to live was amazing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sit down and write when I feel I have the time to relax and just let the words come out of what I am thinking about for the story. I do like to keep a notebook of ideas and even when I watch TV I will get ideas for stories as well. I enjoy writing when it is quiet and I have some music on in the background.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love all the old books as a kid that I read about horses like the Billy and Blaze series, The Black Stallion and the Misty series.
What are you working on now?
I just finished writing my second book in my series and just got it back from the editor. I just launched my first book and have been doing a of learning about blogging and promoting my book. I just finished launching it on Audible and am very excited to share once it is available.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am learning about the best way to promote self published books. My Facebook page has gotten a lot of hits and comments and I just recreated a web site for the series with blogs and snippets of the book (don’t want to give the whole story away).
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do your research and have a budget. I was lucky in that I found an amazing illustrator and was able to keep in under budget. Keep track of your expenses and open a separate account for your book or books for tax purposes. That way you have all the income going to one account and it is easy to keep track or your leads and profits from your book.
Also read books from the genre you are writing and don’t be afraid to ask questions and join communities that will support your writing. Local writing chapters are a great way to learn about the industry. I have volunteered for the past 6 years with Willamette Writers Group for their annual writing conference. What a great experience that has been and 2 years ago I met Sally Field’s son who is a writer and producer at the conference.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Take your time and edit edit edit. Get other eyes to look at your book and don’t be in a rush. A good editor is so important to the process. And be patient with the process and enjoy it. Some people don’t enjoy it but if you find a good space to write and do it with finding a way to feed your soul, you will be a lot happier.
What are you reading now?
I have been reading early reader books to get an idea of what children like and how I can make my series better. I also love to read history and memoirs.
What’s next for you as a writer?
To continue working on my series, and learning as much as I can about self publishing and creating new stories to share with my readers,
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would probably have the bible and some other books that would be inspirational (I would like to read the new book written by Barack Obama). And anything my Maya Angelou would be part of group of books as she was so inspirational and her voice and tone in her writing was like butter. I saw her once in person and was in AWE of this woman.
Author Websites and Profiles
Cherise Arthur Website
Cherise Arthur Amazon Profile
Cherise Arthur’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile